7 Ways To Break the Acne Anxiety Cycle

Acne is a human experience, involving more than bumps and buying some products to resolve the issue. For many, acne is a reality that digs up issues deeply entrenched within the psyche.Commonly reported are struggles with self-worth and self-image. Consequently, acne can cause a great deal of psychosomatic pain that is underestimated.

This experience is exacerbated even more by society. Because we partly form our self-image through the reactions of others, acne can lead to chronic anxiety, social withdrawal, and even isolation. So, many clinicians posit that liberating patients from this cycle requires an approach that ultimately increases quality of life. Of course, this can include culturally sensitive dermatology referrals but also psychologists and holistic health professionals. So, here are some tools and strategies Cassandra learned that helped regain control and foster a healthier relationship with her skin.

Is it Truly "All in Your Head?": Linking psychosomatic pain with breakouts.

What is psychosomatic pain?

“Psychosomatic pain is physical pain that is significantly influenced by psychological factors, like stress, anxiety, or depression, meaning the pain is real but originates from mental and emotional states rather than a purely physical cause; essentially, your mind can manifest physical pain through the body due to psychological distress.”

For instance, acne and anxiety are often intertwined, creating a vicious cycle where stress exacerbates breakouts, leading to increased anxiety. Recognizing this connection is the first step toward breaking the cycle.

Personal Insight: As Cassandra reflects on her journey, having acne often made her feel like a burden, and she would withdraw, causing further anxiety. However, this distressing challenge confronted her with the reality of her self-esteem, and it allowed the opportunity to unpack and sort it out. Acknowledgement and realization were her first steps to growth and pivoting towards holistic self-care.

Practice Mindfulness

Consider if your coping skills are adaptive or maladaptive?

What are maladaptive coping skills?

Maladaptive coping skills are unhealthy ways of dealing with stress that can lead to negative outcomes.

This could possibly include binge eating, skin picking, or restrictive eating. Just like skin picking, both binge and restrictive eating can have adverse effects on the skin. People binge and/or restrict their intake for several different reasons, but the effects are often costly, causing it to be potentially maladaptive.

Restrictive eating deprives your skin of the nutrients it needs to heal, especially if it results in deficiency or malnutrition. For instance, deficiencies in nutrients like niacin (vitamin B3), zinc, and proteins, can cause dermatitis, a condition that presents with inflammation and other changes such as itchiness, flaking, scales (etc.).

On the other hand, binge eating can skyrocket blood sugar levels, and in the long term, increase androgen levels, a hormone directly linked to acne.

Read more here about androgens and acne.

Binge eating is also associated with an excess of salt intake, which could ultimately raise blood pressure. Blood pressure affects how blood circulates so high blood pressure can hinder the skin’s glow.

So, while stress is a known trigger for acne flare-ups, it is also a well-known trigger for restrictive and/or binge eating.

What helps?

Talk to someone

Whether it's from a professional or a friend, talking to someone is very helpful for mitigating stress. Isolation is very stressful for the brain and triggers a variety of stress centers. So, speaking to someone definitely has the potential benefit of calming you down.

Make time and space for yourself

How much time do you spend for yourself? Making time to cater to your own needs can greatly help with feeling overwhelmed.

Move around: It doesn’t have to be rigorous exercise, and in fact, this might stress some people out. You can do things that relax you, feel fun, or even like a reward – as long as it involves movement. Movement helps to lower stress hormones and regulate mood. Also, make sure you’re getting adequate water and sleep!

Mindfulness Techniques: For Cassandra, meditation, deep-breathing, regular exercise, and regular exercise helped significantly.

Establish a Gentle Skincare Routine

A consistent and gentle skincare regimen can help manage acne without causing additional stress to your skin. Cassandra normally focuses on creating a simple skincare routine, honing in on gentle yet effective products. Here are the basic steps.

Cleanse: Wash your face twice daily with a mild cleanser to remove impurities without stripping the skin.

Don’t forget to Moisturize!: So often we think that acne means we should moisturize less! Quite the contrary! You just have to find one that works for your skin. Look for words like “non-comedogenic” to help maintain skin hydration. Here are a few that have worked for Cassandra over the years.

Best for combo skin: The Ordinary NMF Moisturizer + HA

$13.40

Best Lightweight option: Rovectin Clean Lotus Water Cream

$24

Best for chronic acne: Cran Peptide Cream Moisturizer

$28

Avoid Over-Treating: Excessive use of acne treatments can irritate the skin, potentially worsening breakouts.

Seek Professional Support

As mentioned before, when Cassanra engaged with professionals who understood the emotional impact of acne, she noticed herself making strides towards self-acceptance and improved skin health.

Visit betterhelp

Challenge Negative Thoughts

We mentioned the psychosomatic aspect of acne. However, challenging negative thoughts, a well-known cognitive behavioral therapy approach, fosters more of a compassionate self-view.

Cassandra would challenge her negative thoughts in the following three ways:

Positive Affirmations

Replace self-criticism with affirmations emphasizing your worth beyond physical appearance.

Limit Mirror Time: Reducing time spent scrutinizing your skin can decrease obsessive thoughts.

Read more about changing habits, skin, and anxiety.

Shifting focus from appearance to personal strengths: This allowed Cassandra to break free from the constant negative self-talk fueled by acne.

Connect with Supportive Communities

Since isolation can feed into stress, sharing experiences with others facing similar challenges can provide comfort and reduce feelings of isolation. This is one of the main reasons Cassandra formed the following:

Support Groups: Participate in groups where members discuss coping strategies and offer mutual support.

Online Communities: Engage in forums or social media groups focused on acne support and positivity. Building a community with others who understood Cassandra’s struggles provided a sense of belonging and reassurance. We actually have a page called “Acne Warriors” that you can join!

Join Acne Warriors

Focus on Holistic Health

Combining a nourishing diet, dermatological, and therapeutic assistance, are three amazing foundations for your self-love journey. Over the years, Cassandra has made progress that she is truly grateful for. And since breakouts can happen again, it’s important to do the self-work and find knowledge that not only supports your body, but your well-being.

Check out the skin stories section to read the narratives of those experiencing acne around the globe!